Let's Talk, Singapore

Calls for the community to do its part in narrowing the social divide has been strongly reflected in recent days. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's speech in Parliament also emphasised that Singapore will need a refreshed social compact for the city’s next stage of nation-building. In the spirit of the push for greater inclusivity, Lynlee Foo tackles the issue of employment for persons with di...

On Mind Your Business, we delve into an innovative solution to retrofitting green solutions to buildings amid global warming. And that’s looking into trash. Ryan Huang finds out more from Liza Morales, Creative Director of Ecotecture Design Studio - an award winning architect in the Philippines, who is making buildings greener using upcycled waste.  This podcast is produced and edited by Anthea Ng...

ESG has become an increasingly popular approach to investing in recent years. In our special episode on sustainability brought to you by UOB ASEAN Conversation, Lyn Lee Foo and Ryan Huang speak with Adrian Ow, Head of Business Enablers & ESG Solutions, UOB, on the growing importance of ESG investing for both businesses and individuals, the benefits it can offer to both investors and society, a...

Matt Taylor, Senior Director, FTI Consulting previews some of the big events and data points investors should watch out for including China's Q1 GDP, and Indonesia's central bank decision.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to worklife - what would you prioritise? A 10% pay increase or great relationships with your colleagues? And what could be the biggest factor that could make you decide whether or not you should stay or go for a better opportunity? Kat Warboys, Director APAC at HubSpot shares interesting findings from a recent report on working in hybrid settings, post-pandemic. See omnystudio.com/li...

What are the key ingredients of a good criminal lawyer? Well, on the Robert King Law firm website, it stated that there are four things : the ability to investigate, negotiate, provide a technical legal defense, and win at trial. But something's missing in that list according to our C-Suite leader on Mind Your Business today. He is an established criminal lawyer, who is at the same time dedicated...

The global AI race has pushed tech companies to unveil a slew of artificial intelligence-powered tools at breakneck speed over the last few months. In response to that, governments are now in yet another race to figure out how best to regulate that powerful technology. But have you wondered if artificial intelligence can also be tapped on to combat disinformation?  Chris Marsden, Professor of Arti...

Barnabas Gan, Senior economist, RHB Bank discusses why the Monetary Authority of Singapore may have decided to hit the pause on tightening after doing so for five straight times, and explores if Singapore's economy could be in for a technical recession in the first half of this year after contracting 0.7% q-o-q in Q1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Mind Your Business today, we look into how a fintech media company based in Perth, created an A.I. anchor to replace a news presenter who left for a rival company. The AI anchor, named Andy, presented its first story on Bitcoin in October 2022, before becoming the company’s dedicated cryptocurrencies reporter. So how will A.I. anchors or presenters transform the media landscape? Can an A.I. anc...

The International Monetary Fund is painting a pessimistic outlook, as it downgrades its real GDP growth forecast for both 2023 and 2024.  Selena Ling, Chief Economist at OCBC Bank weighs in how Singapore’s economy positions against larger economies amid that gloomy outlook and whether central banks will further tighten their monetary policies. This podcast is produced and edited by Yeo Kai Ting (...

According a recent study, more people returned their trays and crockery after they finished a meal at a coffee shop or hawker centre in 2022. That accounts to 95 per cent of over 2000 people who were polled in that survey. Professor Paulin Straughan, Sociology Professor at Singapore Management University  explains the reasons driving this social responsibility. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

A cautionary word on China. Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, join The Straits Times' associate editor & Senior Asia columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distills his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, he chats with the Australian statesman Bob Carr, a long-serving Premier of New South Wales, Australia’s most prosperous state, and foreign minister to th...

One of the common challenges of a graphic designer is the constant demand to churn out designs based on clients' needs.  That can be exhausting and draining, leading to a sense of burnout and fatigue.  Feeling uninspired and in need of a change, one graphic designer decided to take a break from the industry and explore new creative avenues.  She discovered a passion for floral design and taught he...

Rob Desborough, Managing Partner at Seraphim Space, discusses how investors can find opportunities in outer space, and how his fund looks for astronomical returns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With its status as a renowned international financial centre. Singapore has long been a popular investment destination for rich businessmen, wealthy families and tech entrepreneurs from Asia and elsewhere.  Jimmy Zhu, Chief Strategist, Fullerton Markets  explains what makes the nation a magnet for Chinese billionaires. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Singapore Government is pushing for everyone to have the “right mindset”. Areas of focus include strengthening the culture of respect towards seniors, and avoiding stereotypes can be hurtful and self-limiting. But what else can we do as a society and are regulations to support the elderly sufficient?  Professor Theng Yin Leng, Executive Director of the Ageing Research Institute for Society and...

Thilan Wickramasinghe, Head of Research, Singapore at Maybank Investment Banking Group, discusses how the Straits Times Index may actually outperform against a backdrop of slower global growth and rising interest rates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singapore startup Insectta was first set up in 2017 to battle Singapore’s food waste crisis with the help of an unlikely ally: the black soldier fly larva. But it has since pivoted to an even greener mode - cocoon shells collected from fly farms around ASEAN, and is trying that out in their new pilot plant. Chua Kai-Ning, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer of Insectta shares an inside look o...

A high-profile investigation is currently underway at the Pentagon to find out how the trove of highly sensitive documents detailing Ukraine war plans and intelligence on US allies got leaked. To date, little is known about who may have been responsible or how some of the nation’s most tightly guarded secrets ended up on social media sites. Javed Ali, Associate Professor of Practice at University...

What does mental well-being mean to you when it comes to work?  Experts say that could take on many different definitions - both to employees and employers.  So what kind of weight do mental health related issues have on HR policies and work arrangements within companies?  Dr Shawn Ee, Clinical Psychologist & Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and Director of The Psychology Practice explains how f...

Graeme Baker, portfolio manager in the Sustainable Equity team at Ninety One , discusses how the fallout of the collapse from SVB could be a wake up call for the ESG fund management sector, as well as how investors should navigate the industry.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we know, the exotic leather industry has long been associated with animal cruelty and environmental degradation. But, what if we told you that there's a way to create leather without harming any animals? That's right - we're talking about cell-based lab grown leather! On Mind Your Business today, LynLee Foo and Ryan Huang speak with a startup and a SME in Singapore - where a scientist meets a l...

The Singapore Parliament has recovened, with President Halimah Yacob stressing on the importance of broadening meritocracy to combat social stratification. Former Nominated Member of Parliament, Eugene Tan, Associate Professor of Law, Singapore Management University gave us a deep dive into the workings behind enhancing our social compact and what the government needs to set on its sails as it nav...

Singapore experiences haze from time to time - often a result of the forest fires in Indonesia. One new ecological study has found that such fires could occur more in coming years with deforestation in the region intensifying. How will that affect businesses and people living in the region? And why is the problem not going away just yet? Author of the study - Frank Van Veen, Professor of Ecology &...

The aftermath of the banking crisis triggered by the Silicon Valley Bank has caused jitters in the world of venture funding. That SVB fallout follows some numbers from a recent report showing that the annual deal volume in Singapore dropped 11 percent year on year to 651 while the total deal value dipped 3 percent to US$11 billion. Is this a sign of things to come? Mohit Ralhan, Global CEO & M...